Street Fighter: The Hadou Circle
by Mr. Adlib
Summary: The Hadou Circle: A state of mind and energy that allows the Hadou user to reach almost unlimited potential, and share that energy with other Hadou users. However, if that potential fell into the wrong hands... Ch. 5 up.
1. Prologue

**Street Fighter: The Hadou Circle**

**Prologue**

There was a loud crunch and Akuma's body flew through the air, spiraling like a top, and his face landed hard on the dark African Serengeti. Once his head had stopped pounding, he quickly turned around and looked with hatred at his opponent, who limped toward him slowly. Akuma, with bruised arms and a fractured rib, slowly stood up and clutched his chest, forcing himself to breathe normally. His opponent was in much pain too, he could tell; it had been one hell of a fight. He always knew that Ryu was to be the one to defeat him, but he always believed that Ryu was to defeat him using the Dark Hadou, which didn't exist anywhere in his opponent's ki registers. He had tried toying with Ryu, telling him that it was his own fault that his master, Akuma's brother Gouken, had died, but Ryu's emotional and mental states remained clear, as if Akuma hadn't said anything at all. Ryu had made him out to be a fool. He had proven that traditional Hadou did have the potential to defeat Dark Hadou in the right hands, and all of Akuma's training and dedication, his pledge of allegiance to the most powerful and undefeatable form of martial arts known to man or demon, had been for nothing. He despised Ryu for that, and was to dedicate the rest of his life to destroying him and everything he held dear.

Ryu was not much better off physically than his opponent. He had many bruises and abrations on his face and he could only see out of one eye, his right arm socket had been dislocated and he had to painfully shove it back into its proper place during the course of the fight, and he had sustained a mild concussion; Akuma had punched him so high and so far away, that it gave Ryu time to regain consciousness. But over the course of the battle Ryu had gained the upper hand. He had learned to dodge the Shun Goku Satsu, the Instant Hell Murder and Akuma's ultimate attack, which Akuma began using more frequently as the fight raged on. But the attack had used up too much of Akuma's ki, and now he was at the mercy of his opponent. With one eye opened fiercely, Ryu gave a smile that Akuma was too far away to see. He hadn't even shown Akuma his latest, most devastating technique, mainly because he wanted to get Akuma's ki low enough so that he would not be able to dodge or teleport out of it. But now was the time. Ryu concentrated all of his remaining ki into his right fist.

Akuma knew he was doomed. When he realized that there was a chance that he could lose the fight, he regained confidence in the fact that Ryu was such a person that killing his opponent was simply out of the question. But now, he gazed in horror as Ryu began building up ki for a final attack. Bright flashes of white energy had fallen from the heavens and gathered at Ryu's fist, as if the gods had collaborated with the warrior to destroy this container of evil. It was more than enough to snuff Akuma's life, he knew that. He had no final attack, nor the energy to deliver such an attack. All he could do was wait as Ryu got closer.

"This is the end for you Akuma. Do you have any last words?" called out Ryu from many yards away.

"You have not seen the end of me boy," called out Akuma, in a voice that was barely audible because it was so deep and booming. "I swear to you I will return ten times stronger than now, and destroy you and your family."

"And I swear," said Ryu as he brought his now ignited fist across his face in an attack position, "that I will not allow that to happen again.. This is Master Gouken's revenge!"

In a battle cry that could be heard miles away, Ryu charged at Akuma, who maintained a battle stance of his own, placing his hands at his side and preparing to launch an incredibly weak Messatsu Gou Hado at his opponent. It would not win him the fight, however…

When Ryu was not more than ten yards away, Akuma launched his attack, which sent a large stream of black and purple energy directly at his opponent, illuminating the Serengeti for as far as the eye can see. Ryu did not slow in his charge, nor did he try and evade the attack. His entire body had been so absorbed with Hadou energy that he ran straight through Akuma's attack. Akuma was now defenseless, and watched in horror as Ryu came up so close to him that he could feel the Hadou energy irradiating off of his opponent. Ryu reared his ignited right fist behind him and sunk it excrutiatingly into Akuma's gut.

"Shin—"

Akuma watched, barely breathing, as the Hadou energy traveled from Ryu's right fist, through his chest, and into his left fist, which Ryu smashed into his jaw.

"Shoryu—"

Akuma was knocked into the air, jaw broken and for the most part unconscious. But Ryu hadn't finished yet. The Japanese warrior leapt into the air, his left fist still ignited, and smashed it once again into Akuma's face.

"Ken!"

Akuma fell limp through the air, as if he'd just been dropped from the sky, and his crippled body landed on a large rock jutting out of the Serengeti landscape with a very loud snapping of bones.

Ryu twirled in the air majestically, finishing off the formation of the attack, and landed on the Serengeti floor on his back. His body was so numb that he had barely felt the impact, and he breathed heavily for many moments lying down in the cool grass, and after a while the breathing became laughter. He had finally done it. He had finally defeated the Supreme Master of the Fist using the traditional Hadou style his master had taught him and his best friend Ken. He had not succumbed to the dark side of Hadou like Akuma told him he would have to if he wanted to defeat him. Ryu could not remember the last time he had been so pleased with himself. And that was the last thought he had before he lost consciousness.

"_Ryu…" called a voice._

_Ryu opened up his eyes brightly into a world of pure light. He quickly got to his feet, standing on nothingness; his body did not appear battered. He turned around and he saw, just a short distance away, the pleasant sight of his deceased Master Gouken, whom he had finally avenged. _

"_Ryu…" repeated Gouken, who had a warm smile on his face._

"_Master," started Ryu. "I finally did it. I have defeated Akuma using the techniques you taught me. I did not succumb to the Dark Hadou. I have avenged you." A large smile appeared on Ryu's face._

"_I am very, very proud of you my pupil. However, I am a bit worried."_

_Ryu's smile disappeared. "You're worried? Do you think Akuma will return to full strength?"_

"_It's not that Ryu." The spirit of Gouken traveled a short distance until his face was only mere inches from Ryu's. _

"_Ryu, now that Akuma has been defeated, what are you going to do now?"_

_The Japanese warrior looked blankly at his master for several seconds before he replied. "I…um…don't know what you mean master."_

_Gouken smiled brightly and placed a warm hand on Ryu's head, like he used to do back when Ryu was a boy. _

"_Remember Ryu, the fight is not all…"_

Ryu awoke, still on his back. He launched himself to his feet and looked a few yards ahead of him, and Akuma was still right where he had left him, unmoving. The warrior breathed out a huge sigh of relief, and winced loudly as he realized his body hadn't even begun to feel healed. He walked carefully to Akuma's resting spot, and gazed upon his crippled body. Bone had protruded from his leg caused from the fall onto the rock, and his jaw was slanted in a position that would not be humanly possible if it hadn't been broken in about five or six places.

Ryu stared out into the horizon, which was now a splendid orange color. The sun was beginning to creep through the darkness and the day was about to begin. He bowed honorably at Akuma's body, respecting him as a worthy opponent. He then gathered his white duffle bag which was a short distance away, and then began his very long journey to America.

In the distance, beyond Ryu's capacity of hearing, someone was laughing…


	2. The Challenge

**Street Fighter: The Hadou Circle**

**Chapter 1: The Challenge **

"Are you serious! You defeated Akuma!" cried out Ken Masters, who was just as surprised at this news than the news that he was going to be a father. "Geez. I wanted to avenge Master Gouken too. You coulda told me you were gonna fight him."

"What do you want me to do, Ken?" said Ryu with his eyes closed. "The guy ambushed me in Africa, screaming something about me becoming his disciple of the Dark Hadou and killing me if I don't abide by his offer. And besides my phone card ran out of minutes, so…" Ryu had stowed away his usual white gi, and was now laying back in the passenger seat of Ken's red 2006 Mercedes-Benz, looking completely relaxed. "I think a pleasant, 'I'm glad he didn't kill you,' is in order."

"How did you do it?" asked Ken looking completely awe struck. "I mean seriously. How?"

"A new technique. I developed it about a year ago, about the time I started training Sakura. You should have been there Ken. I'd gathered so much Hadou energy I thought I was gonna explode. It was so amazing."

"Heh. I developed a new move too. It's like a Rising Hurricane Kick. I'll show it to you as soon as we get to the house."

"It's nice to know you've been training. Most of the street fighters I know don't have families because they interfere with such things."

"Yeah. Training isn't everything. I know I keep telling you this but there is more to life. Who knows, maybe you'll have a family one day."

"I know. I think Master Gouken was trying to tell me something like that."

Ken looked at Ryu with a puzzled expression.

* * *

"All right. Let's see what you got!" yelled Ryu stretching his arms. The backyard of the Masters mansion alone was as large as a housing subdivision, and the mansion actually looked like five mansions combined, which made a house that was just too damn big as far as Ryu was concerned. Nevertheless, there was more than enough room to spar. 

"Here I come!" Ken yelled as he launched himself into the air, while Ryu took the defensive. Half an hour was spent throwing and dodging regular jabs, roundhouse kicks, sweeps and Hurricane Kicks, with the occasional execution of a Shoryuken, just to test each others' abilities. It had been a while since they'd sparred but Ken could tell that Ryu was enjoying himself. Defeating Akuma had obviously taken a large weight off of his shoulders, and it had been a long time since he saw Ryu actually happy to be alive rather than brooding over his quest to become a "true master." Now that his best friend had actually accomplished the impossible, Ken wondered how he compared to Ryu now. After all, they were rivals. As he began to perspire, a smug expression appeared on Ken's face as he became anxious to test out his new abilities.

However, as the sparring dragged on and the attacks became more devastating, something strange and unprecedented had occurred. Ken was not able to land a single hit on Ryu's body, while Ken had enough for the both of them. There had been a hadouken war between the best friends that ended with Ken blasting away three of the trees in his backyard, and of course Ryu dodged it. Ryu had caught Ken off guard with a Vacuum Hurricane Kick; Ken was able to block the attack, but Ryu's foot had pummeled his arms so bad that now they were the same color as his bright red gi. Ken had launched about four Shoryureppas while he thought Ryu had his guard down, all to no avail. He'd even tried the new Rising Hurricane Kick out on his opponent, but Ryu was now so fast that it took Ken precious seconds to realize he had been kicking at air, in which Ryu delivered a Shoryuken to Ken's shocked face.

Ken twirled in the air from the attack and landed on his feet, about twenty feet away from Ryu. His cheek already began to look swollen, and his arms were heavy to move. He had lost this sparring match, there was no getting around that, but he wasn't going to allow Ryu to get a perfect match. He was the World Martial Arts Champion anyway.

"All right, Ryu. You win. I'm impressed. But I got one last surprise for you," called out Ken through swollen lips.

"Give me your best shot," said Ryu through a gi damp with sweat.

Ken brought his hands to his side and launched a hadouken at his opponent. Ryu was about to counter with a hadouken of his own, when Ken's hadouken struck the ground blowing a large mound of dirt and soil into Ryu's face. Ken rushed into the cloud and sweeped Ryu's feet from under him. He then caught his opponent with a Shoryuken, which Ryu blocked, but it still caused his body to rise into the air. When Ryu's body was right above him, Ken went down to his knees and charged all of his remaining ki into his left fist.

"SHINRYUKEN!" yelled Ken as he launched himself into the air with his ignited left fist aimed for Ryu's face.

The next thing that happened was so fast Ken couldn't even see it. Ryu had enough wits about him that he was able to twirl in the air and look straight down, facing Ken as he came toward him. As quick as lightning he brought his hands to his side and yelled, "SHINKUU HADOUKEN!" launching a column of Hadou energy straight down upon Ken.

* * *

Ken woke up in his own bed, with his wife Eliza at his side. She had a small bowl filled with cold water and a dampened cloth which she placed on her husband's head, although Ken didn't know why he needed it. He turned groggily to her, as if he'd just woken up from a wonderful sleep. 

"Hey babe. You look great. How're you feeling?" said Ken looking half asleep.

"I'm fine," said Eliza throwing her long blonde hair behind her head. "I should be asking you that question. You guys sure do play rough."

Ken's attention was now focused on his wife's belly. The baby was starting to show. Ken gave Eliza's stomach a drunken smile.

"I'd watched the whole thing," continued Eliza. "Wow. A Shinkuu Hadoken to the face. I thought he had killed you. I screamed at him for about a half hour."

Pretty soon I'm going to be a father, thought Ken. Pretty soon I'm gonna have a five year old pulling Shoryukens in the living roo-

Ken launched himself out of bed as if he'd just woken up from a horrible nightmare. _He hit me with a Shinkuu Hadoken! He knocked me out! He freakin' knocked me out!_ _In front of Eliza!_ Ken hopped out of bed wearing nothing but his clover green boxers and ran down his stairs.

Ryu had been helping himself to a plate of ribs that the Masters' cook had made just for him when Ken came storming into the kitchen screaming in his underwear.

"A Shinkuu Hadoken! What is wrong with you!"

Ryu swallowed hard on his ribs before speaking. "Well you were about to hit me with a Shinryuken. The two moves are about equal strength. I don't know why you're upset. And put some clothes on, please."

"I wasn't gonna knock you out with it though!"

"Yeah, because you were losing."

"I told you that you had already won the fight. All you had to was dodge the attack, like I know you could have. You didn't have to destroy me! And Eliza saw the whole thing!"

"Well, maybe you should train harder."

This infuriated Ken and he took his arm and swiped all of the dishes that Ryu had been eating off of onto his own kitchen floor with a violent crash. "I'm not like you," said Ken pointing a finger threateningly at Ryu. "I can't just throw my whole life away to train because I don't know what else to do with it. God why don't you get a life?"

Ryu stood up facing Ken, as if being challenged. "If that's how you feel, then don't get mad when I beat you. Because if I know you, it's going to happen again. And again. And again."

Ken clenched his fists and struggled to stop shaking. If he attacked Ryu here, he might as well destroy his entire house now. Ryu saw this enticement and changed his tone of voice.

"Listen to me Ken. The reason you're still lagging behind is because you haven't been tempted by the Dark Hadou."

Ken opened his fist and stared at Ryu with his eyes wide. "What?" he said.

"Once they reach a certain level, all Hadou users are tempted by the Dark Hadou. Master Gouken told us this over and over again. If one wishes to continue to master the art of Hadou, you must be tempted by the Dark Hadou and overcome it. You have not yet reached a level where the Dark Hadou would want you."

Ken looked down at his destroyed dishes, pondering on Ryu's words, and Ryu shook his head as if coming out of a mild dizzy spell. "Do you have some Avian I can drink, Ken?"

* * *

The two friends sat on the front steps of the Masters' mansion, with Ryu sipping his second Avian and Ken looking at the sunset. They had cooled down and made up, with Ryu apologizing for the way he attacked Ken in and out of the kitchen, and Ken telling Ryu that he truly didn't believe he had thrown his life away. Ryu's speech about the Dark Hadou had intrigued him though. 

"All right. It's settled," said Ken.

"Uh-oh," said Ryu putting away his bottle.

"I'll promise to train harder and overcome the Dark Hadou, if you promise to relax more. Besides I need to catch up to you."

"This isn't a joke Ken. You remember how hard it was for me. If this is going to work, you have to keep me up to date on anything that happens. Bad daydreams, nightmares, anything. If things get really bad, you may have to move out for a while because you might endanger Eliza. As a matter of fact, maybe it'll be better if you aren't tempted by the Dark Hadou at all. You know what I mean?"

"Hey don't worry about it. I have you to keep me from going to the 'dark side.'" Ken reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, which he then tossed to Ryu.

"The hell is this?" asked Ryu.

"It's your temporary bachelor pad. Eliza will not allow any girl into the house whose her age or younger. Well, except for Sakura. If you bring girls home with you, now you'll have your own place to get busy in."

Ryu knew better than to argue. This was a battle he did not have the skill to win. "Whatever. Just train hard, and I guess I will too," said the warrior as he picked up his duffle bag. The limo had been waiting the entire time for Ryu, who gave a thumbs up to Ken before entering the car. Once he had left the premises, Ken looked at the sky as the sun began to set.

"The Dark Hadou. I wonder…" were the only words he uttered.


	3. A Lesson In Focus

**Street Fighter: The Hadou Circle**

Chapter 2: A Lesson In Focus 

Sakura Kusagano flew into the air and performed one final Hurricane Kick, bringing up a mound of beach sand around her and landing gracefully in the moonlight. She then collapsed to her knees on the verge of passing out and decided that that had been enough training for the day. The last bit of energy she had was used to pound her fist into the beach sand in frustration because she still could not form a hadouken, even though she has tried for almost a year now. The Hurricane Kick had been mastered (or her own version of it) as well as all of the basic attacks, blocks and defensive and offensive stances of Shotokan karate, but the shoryuken and hadouken required the use of hadou energy. She had practiced the proper stances for the moves to perfection, but for some reason the hadou energy would not flow through her. As far as summoning this power went, Sakura honestly did not know what more she could do. It was as if Ryu had not told her a crucial part of her training, and this irritated her to no end. She was determined to show her master Ryu how much she'd grown this past year, and that his generosity for training her after she had begged like a baby would not be in vain, but all of this relentless training was beginning to take its toll on her, and she began to question whether or not this was what she really wanted. It would not have been the first time.

* * *

Sakura picked herself up from the sand floor, gave herself a long stretch and stared into the night sky. The moon was directly above her, and she decided in was time to head home. 

She climbed through the window of her Japanese house, praying to God that her mother hadn't heard her. Thankfully, her training had granted her the capability of being as loud as a slight breeze if she wanted to, but it aggravated her to no end that she still couldn't form had—

"Caught you!" cried a voice, and a body popped from behind Sakura's dresser. Sakura screamed loudly, and her body immediately went into a fighting stance, but then she recognized the voice as belonging to her mother.

"Mom what are you doing? I was about to perform my Shououken attack on you. You could have been seriously hurt."

"So you feel that the best way to defend yourself for coming through the window at this ungodly hour is by threatening me."

"I wasn't threatening—"

"You're eighteen years old child. You're too old to be sneaking about. And I thought we had the sort of relationship that you could just ask me if you could stay out longer if you felt like it."

"I didn't want to worry—"

"Do you feel as if you HAVE to sneak out because everyone your age is doing so and you feel left out because you actually listen to your mother most of the time?"

"Oh, forget it," said Sakura as she plopped herself onto her bed and buried her face into one of her pillows.

"So now you're not even going to argue with me anymore?"

"You seem to be on top of things in that department. You don't need my help."

There was a silence between the two, and Sakura knew that her mother was staring at her as she lay on the bed. She also knew what her mother was thinking because she had heard the lecture countless times: 'Oh, Sakura, you are such a cute girl. You also have a little hip on you too. Boys should be flocking all over you. Yet you keep to this shotokan training or whatever, and instead of flirting with boys who approach you, you challenge them to fights. Boys will never approach a girl so violent. You obviously have a serious problem and I don't know what to do about it."

There was a rustling behind her and her bed squeaked to let Sakura know that her mother was now sitting next to her. This only added to her aggravation. Why couldn't she perform a hadouken? It was the only thing that she wanted in life. She had dedicated every day to it. Her relationships with her friends had become all but stagnant. Even her best friend Tomoyo had found a new boyfriend, while Sakura continued to go to the beach everyday to train as if she were under some sort of spell that could not be lifted. All that training, for what? Sure she could kick the ass of any boy in her entire high school, probably every adult too. But she knew from experience that that sort of thing tended to turn people away from her.

It was frustrating nights like tonight where she really wished she had not seen Ryu fight a couple of years ago in the Street Fighter Tournament. It was his fault. He must have tricked her with those mesmerizing eyes of his. The way the bright blue hadou energy flowed around his large muscles like water when he prepared to launch an attack. That booming deep voice of his that caste some sort of trance over her when she wasn't paying attention, trapping her into this life of being his slave forever.

"Oh my God!" screamed Sakura. "I can't believe I fantasized about him AGAIN!" She pounded her fists into her pillows in rage. "I HATE YOU, RYU! I HATE YOU! DAMN IT! GET! OUT! OF! MY! HEAD!"

"Calm down child," cried her mother snatching the pillow from Sakura's onslaught before its insides exploded all over the room. "What's the problem?"

"HE'S the problem!" cried Sakura, pointing to a picture that she had taken with Ryu a year ago when they went their separate ways. "He tricked me! He must have! It's not possible to form a hadouken! I can't do it! I just can't do it!"

And that was when Sakura came down. She slid off of her bed and was now on her knees on her floor. Her faced scrunched up and the tears began to fall. "I can't do it, Mom. I can't. No matter how hard I try. I'll never be able to. It's not possible." She continued to cry, holding herself as if it were cold in her room.

Her mother was now on the floor with her and faced her with a smile on her face. She put both her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "So this is what has been bothering you? Forming this hadouken fireball as you call it?"

Sakura nodded without looking at her mother.

Her mother seemed to think for a few seconds, and then she stood up and started to leave the room. "I think I know what you're problem is. The two of us will head to that beach you like to go to first thing in the morning." She was then out of the room closing the door behind her.

Sakura kept a questionable look on her face after her mother left, and she wasn't quite sure what had just happened. She stuck her finger in her ear to make sure that she was hearing properly. Had her mother just said that she was going to the beach with her? No way.

* * *

Sakura and Ms. Kusagano glanced around the beach, where the sand had a bluish tint to it in the very early morning. "So this is the place responsible for keeping my daughter away from me these past months," said Sakura's mother. 

"Hmph. No," said Sakura pouting. "You can blame Ryu the Legendary Street Fighter for that."

"Okay," began Ms. Kusagano rolling up her sleeves. "I believe your problem is focus. Your mind isn't clear. From what you have told me about Hadoo energy or whatever, that is a necessity for it to work properly. And your outburst last night made it is pretty obvious where we stand."

Ms. Kusagano took off her shoes, walked across the beach and stepped into the water until her feet were submerged in it. Sakura did the same thing, loving the feel of small waves across her feet, and she stood facing her mother a few yards away.

"Alright," said Ms. Kusagano. "Assume your Hadoo stance as if you're trying to make a fireball. We'll do this together."

Sakura, who still seemed unsure about this whole arrangement, did what she was told. She spread her hands out wide with her right arm slanting downwards and her left arm slanting upwards. She then began spinning them slowly like a windmill.

"What kind of ridiculous stance is that?" said her mother who began copying her daughter's movements. "Are you sure you're not just trying to make me look silly?"

"I can't remain focused with you talking Mom."

"Just bear with me for a minute, okay? I realize that most children your age cannot keep a coherent thought for more than five seconds, let alone long enough to form a hadooken. Adolescents tend to gather frustration rather than peace of mind. Therefore, I suggest you close your eyes and try and focus on a happy moment in your life. And keep that in your head. That will help you to keep your mind at peace and clear of distractions. Try it."

Sakura simply stared at her mother awkwardly for many seconds until she said, "That's it? That's your big plan? To form a happy thought? I'm not trying to fly to Neverland Mom; I'm trying to summon hadou energy."

"You're not focusing…"

"What's next? You're gonna throw sand in my face and pretend it's pixy dust?"

"YOU'RE NOT FOCUSING!"

Sakura buttoned her mouth tight and closed her eyes. She would give this a shot, even though it was nonsense. Form a happy thought. Form a happy thought.

Her mind raced back to two years ago, when she had saved up every cent from the past eleven months and used that money to get tickets to the Street Fighter Tournament. It had been more like a festival than anything else, which was odd given the gruesome backgrounds of many fighters participating. There were balloons, concession stands, martial arts exhibitionists, children wearing Ryu headbands with the matching gi, and even live bands. But Sakura had gone to the tournament to see one person.

Ryu was actually one of the first fighters to compete, and when he stepped into the arena the crowd had exploded, sounding as if a bomb had gone off. No one else competing could have ever hoped to get such an uproar, and yet he had remained focused on his opponent as if they were the only two within a hundred miles.

Watching him with the amount of focus that he had, with the amount of liveliness and determination in his eyes, changed Sakura's entire outlook on life, after having never seen anyone with such strength of will.

And that was when it happened. Once Ryu realized that his opponent was beginning to get the better of him, blue rivelets of light began coursing around his body. It had not been the first time someone had physically manifested their ki to form an attack during the tournament, but this was different. Ryu seemed to borrow the life energies of everyone in the audience for his attack. Sakura could actually feel her ki swelling up inside her. The experience was more amazing than anything she could imagine, and she gladly gave up any energies she had to help Ryu win.

Focus.

Friends.

Family.

Love.

Energy.

Power.

Light.

Life.

HADOU.

A blue bolt of lightning rained down from the morning sky and converged around Sakura's body. Ms. Kasugano gave a scream and ducked out of the way, as the source of this phenomenon was unbeknownst to her. As she gazed upon her daughter, she realized that she would never be able to put into words what she was witnessing. Her daughter was glowing a bright blue, and small bits of light fluidly glided around her as if they were made of water. Ms. Kasugano had been calling out to Sakura the entire time, but her eyes remained closed as if she were unaware of what she was doing.

At that moment there was a cracking sound. All the small bubbles of light around Sakura condensed into one large ball of bluish white. Sakura held this ball in both hands and brought it to her side. Electricity seemed to be flying out of every pore of her body. Ms. Kasugano became scared as she looked at Sakura, who in the midst of all of this had her teeth gritted sharply as if she were in a world of pain. Her daughter had actually looked like she was on the verge of collapse.

Sakura slowly, and painfully, turned her body towards the open water, and with a resonance that seemed to fill the entire beach she screamed "HADOUKEN!" and launched the ball out into the sea, creating two colossal walls as it cut the water. After a few seconds the walls came crashing down with a roar, and after a while the sea was calm again, with the hadouken disappearing into the horizon.

Ms. Kasugano looked at the body of water as if she had just seen a ghost. What had just happened was not possible. Not possible at all. There was no way that her sweet young daughter could have such extraordinary powers. No. It couldn't be. And that was when she heard the laughing.

Tears were coming from Sakura's eyes, and she threw her head back and laughed as if she were mentally unstable. Her mother came right up behind her and caught her, keeping Sakura's head from slamming into the beach sand.

"I did it, Mom," was all that Sakura said as she closed her eyes and lost consciousness.


	4. The Hadou Circle

**Street Fighter: The Hadou Circle**

**Chapter 3: The Hadou Circle**

Instead of falling into the expected realm of blackness, Sakura appeared standing in a world of light that seemed to span into eternity. The entire area seemed to illuminate itself with no particular source, and as Sakura looked at her feet, she realized that she had been standing on nothingness, which was strange because she could definitely feel something giving her support.

Her clothes, which consisted of a white jumpsuit with red and blue stripes going down the side of her shirt and pants, were torn in several places, solely from the sporadic and sudden release of her ki. Ryu warned her that this would happen the first time she created a hadouken, and that her body would create an invisible barrier of energy to protect her from her own hadou release that would last as long as she lived. Her white headband had somehow remained intact, but her hair, which was once lively with dark brown and golden streaks, now was matted with bits of sand embedded in it and smelled of salt water, continuingly slapping her in the face as she turned back and forth examining this bizarre place.

Then, after a number of turns and twists, Sakura suddenly stopped. There was something about this world, a calming presence that the teenager had sensed the second she appeared in it and only now began to really accept. Suddenly she felt at peace, even though she had every right to ask herself where the world she knew had gone. She felt calmer than she ever felt in her entire life. She knew that she was safe in this place and that she had nothing to fear. She knelt down to sit on the invisible solid foundation, crossed her legs, put her hands at her side, and close her eyes to meditate as Ryu taught her to do in what seemed like ages ago. For some reason, it just felt like the right thing to do.

As she did so, bright blue bubbles of hadou energy formed around her as they did on the beach. She remained focused and, as they did previously, the bubbles condensed into a larger mass of light. But instead of taking the form of a hadouken, the white energy took the form of a human, a muscular man who had soft, warm eyes despite his powerful build. He reminded Sakura of her master, except for the dusty brown goatee that was so thick that you couldn't see his neck. She had heard stories of this man from Ryu, and supposedly he would be known as her grandmaster.

"Master Gouken?" said Sakura awkwardly.

"Hello, my dear. Welcome to the Hadou Circle."

"The Hadou Circle? Am I dead?"

"Far from it, Sakura. Why you're ability to form hadou and enter this realm means you couldn't be further from death. Your body has reached a peak of mental and physical ability. One of many that you'll find as you continue your training."

"Oh, forgive me master," said Sakura, and she was suddenly on her knees with her forehead planted on the solid nothingness. "It is an honor to meet you."

Gouken simply rubbed his wooly beard with a large grin on his face. "Child, while I appreciate the gesture it is not required in this realm. In fact, while here, you and I are equals. There is a bond between the two of us and, because of your relationship with Ryu and your introduction into the history of Hadou users, one might consider us family, as they should. As of the moment you entered the Circle you and I have become brother and sister, bonded through the use of the Ansatsuken form of martial arts.

"An…sat….suki?" said Sakura shaking her head. "Master, didn't you, Ryu and Ken follow the ways of Shotokan karate, because that's what Ryu told me.

The spirit of Gouken sighed deeply, and crossed his legs into what Sakura assumed was a more comfortable position before he continued. "I must apologize beforehand. I realize that history is one of the few things that adults your age can tolerate for more than a few minutes, but the legend of the Ansakian tribe and their relationship to Goutetsu, my former master, is a fairly long tail that—"

"Oh, I would love to hear about the history of hadou!" said Sakura, who was now on her stomach facing Gouken with her fists pushed into her cheeks, her wet hair still falling limply between her eyes.

Gouken smiled again, appearing to be enjoying Sakura's company immensely. "Very well. Firstly, I must apologize yet again for having Ryu lead you on, as it is my fault for telling him to do so. As far as these arts go, while some of the same principles apply, Ansatsuken is vastly different from Shotokan. Ryu led you to believe that you were following Shotokan because if you had learned about Ansatsuken before coming into the Circle, and knew of its history, you may have shied away from it, which would have been understandable, but I would have been greatly disappointed if we lost a fighter with such potential simply because she knew of the origins of the ancient tribe.

"The second reason for this falsifying is that wielders of Hadou have tremendous power, and only a handful of people, some of them long dead, actually learned of its existence. Since you were blind to its history, and were therefore unable to repeat said history to others, you remained safe from those who might have taken advantage of the information and the power you possess.

"Now, before I go into the Ansatsuken history, I must tell you of the Hadou Circle. Where we are now is a mental plane created by hadou energy that has manifested all of the techniques, and mentalities of fallen users. I am not the soul of the deceased Gouken; I am more like a projection of his spirit. I am here to guide you in the ways of hadou in anyway I can.

"On the physical level, it is important to note Sakura that by releasing your ki flow through the ways of hadou, you have become what mortal men have dreamed of becoming. Your strength, speed, agility, and capabilities have transcended far beyond those of an average person, even those that train in martial arts, sports and body building all of their lives. Everyone on Earth has this potential and the ability to release their inner energy, but very, very few people know of this process and even fewer people have been able to actually accomplish it."

Sakura just looked at Gouken with her mouth slacked open. She studied her left fist, clenching and unclenching it over and over again.

"So you're saying that I have superhuman strength?"

"If you want to call it that. In all actuality you have only increased your human potential. You are at a level that every human is capable of achieving. There is nothing 'super' about your condition. In fact there are people in the world who are even stronger than you. Always remember that."

"I don't feel any stronger."

"Yes, that is one of the small challenges of the hadou arts that you will have to overcome. Now that you have removed the block on your ki flow, your body should be completely at ease, so much so that you may even feel weaker than you did previously since your body has reached a state of equilibrium. You won't know you are stronger until you're in a situation that calls upon your abilities. Now that I think of it, it may be harder for you to adapt since you have a social life to live outside of the martial arts. I had Ryu and Ken train in the woods around my dojo. The destruction was great, but they learned to control their powers eventually. I'm sure you will too."

Sakura stood up and studied her body for the first time since she shot off the hadouken. Her muscles had mysteriously gotten a little smaller, but she no longer had the muscle tension she had acquired from last night's training. Her entire body should have been sore, yet she didn't feel any stress. She also didn't feel sleepy, hungry, bored or aggravated. She felt at peace with the world, as if everything on Earth (or wherever she was) was happening exactly as it should be. She could get used to this state of equilibrium.

She clapped her hands and smiled a big smile. "Okay, master. Tell me the history of Hadou. I'm all ears." She sat back down on the nothingness with her legs crossed like Gouken.

Gouken laughed, his large belly joyfully expanding. "My, my. Aren't you energetic. Very well. Sakura, imagine if you will a warrior race. A race of shadows that have roamed the Earth for as long as the planet has been alive. These shadows were the raw forms of hadou, life energy in its purest form, and they were alive, living on the planet for millions of years, absorbing energy from the heavens and giving it to the planet. And their power was immeasurable.

"However, there was conflict between these gods. There were two tribes of Ansakian who had very different beliefs on how the world should be regulated. The first tribe were the Ansakian Ten, Ten meaning Heavenly Bodies. These beings believed that their power should be used to preserve the Earth and all of its living creatures. And then there were the Ansakian Gouki, or Demons, who believed that their power should have been used for destruction. They wanted to destroy the Earth and all of its creations, and then move on to other planets and bring chaos throughout the universe. As you can imagine, both tribes kept each other in check. The Earth was never destroyed, yet it was never completely peaceful either.

"Well, not too long after the dawn of mankind, both tribes had a falling out. They could not live harmoniously with their opposing ideas and sought to destroy each other, leading to the Hadou War. It took place far away from Earth, in the heavens, for only a few attacks from these beings would destroy the planet.

"You can probably guess what happened next. The Ansakian tribes for all intents and purposes destroyed each other, The power of the tribesmen rained down, covering the planet and giving all living things the potential for Hadou energy. And one day, thousands and thousands of years later, long after the war had ended, one lone Ansakian warrior who had lost most of his power and didn't have long to live, was found by a boy named Goutetsu."

"The dying warrior could not divulge all of the grand history of his race, for no human mind would be able to comprehend it all, but he granted Goutetsu enough so that the boy would be able to channel Hadou legitimately and on his own.

"Many warriors by this time were able to unlock the secrets to channeling ki energy, but once any of these fighters went up against Goutetsu, or bared witness to his power, they soon realized that their own dwelled in comparison. By the time he was twenty years old, Goutetsu might have been the strongest human being that existed at the time.

"Goutetsu, at the beginning, used his powers for the greater good, allying himself with the needy and those that couldn't protect themselves. He was a fighter without equal in the entire world and was well known in every corner of Japan and China, recognized as a hero of sorts.

"Then one day in China, a man challenged him to a fight to the death. His name was Gen. Goutetsu accepted, telling the man, who was about his own age, to come at him with all of his power. At first Goutetsu had not planned on using his power to kill, believing that there was no man that could stand against him. What he didn't know was that Gen had been studying Goutetsu and developed a unique style of Kung Fu that he alone knew. He did not know the secrets of Hadou, and was therefore unable to channel it, but he was still able to be a match for Goutetsu in almost any area. He was astounded. After all, this had been the first fight where he actually had to prove himself.

"Toward the end of the fight, when Goutetsu was about to call it a draw, Gen unleashed his Zan'ei Shadow Palm, which would have killed Goutetsu upon contact if it had connected. Goutetsu realized this, and became enraged. He released his first Gou Hadoken at Gen. Gen was able to dodge most, but not all of it, and the pure force of the attack lapsed him into a coma for many months. Had he taken the full force of the Gou Hadouken, his body would have vanished from the Earth in a cloud of smoke and dust.

"Goutetsu was mesmerized by the sudden power that he now possessed. He did not know whether to be ecstatic or scared witless. He fled the scene that day, leaving Gen comatose on the ground where the fight took place, and lost himself in the woods where he would remain for the rest of his life, fearful of all the power that he had acquired. And during his time there, he found two young boys who had also lost themselves in the woods, two brothers with no family, nor a past or future."

"You and Akuma?"

"Correct."

After hearing what he had so far, Sakura didn't know if she was supposed to have a face that showed unrequited awe, or a face that wondered if Gouken was trying to dupe her.

Gouken chuckled lightly. "That is the story as was told to me and Akuma when we were boys, word for word. And if you do not believe in the tale, then just look around you. This entire realm was created by the Ansakian Ten, the peaceful tribe. They created it so that all Hadou users will not feel lost and alone once they gain the power to control such energy, as the Circle binds all present users together. Ryu, Ken and now yourself can now call upon each other's hadou energy to aid you in battle. For example, Ryu has finally, after many years, defeated my brother Akuma in battle. However, if he wanted to, he could have borrowed some of Ken's own hadou energy, but he wanted it to be a fair fight. And as you can imagine, Akuma is the only member of the Dark Hadou Circle. Now that you've been added to the circle, the amount of power that the three of you can summon has increased again. Isn't that amazing?"

Gouken was taken aback slightly when he noticed a small twitch that appeared in Sakura's left eye after finishing his statement. It was barely noticeable, and Sakura hid it quickly with a look of confusion.

"You mentioned the Dark Hadou Circle, Master? What is that?"

"Alas child, our time is almost up. Your mother is killing herself with worry over you and it is time for you to reunite with her. We will continue the story again at a later date, but before you go I must tell you that the Dark Hadou is a curse that grants phenomenal power at the cost of one's soul. All hadou users are capable of unleashing Dark Hadou energy, and will reveal itself in moments of intense emotion. Beware the Dark Hadou, child."

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes brightly, as if she had not been unconscious in the first place. The first thing she noticed was the large poster of Bruce Lee that was attached to her ceiling so that she woke up to it every morning. Her mother was bent over her crying into her torn jumpsuit, and apparently they had relocated themselves back to their house. Sakura was surprised that her mother was able to carry her the entire way. 

"Here you go, Mom," said Sakura.

Ms. Kasugano looked up and saw her daughter holding a box of Kleenex to her face, smiling brightly. She let out a high pitched wail and grabbed her daughter around her waist, holding her tightly and continuing to wail.

Sakura tried to talk through all of the noise. "Mom! It's okay! You can let go! And also, I wanted to say thank you for help—"

It was no use. Her mother had continued making sounds of either great joy or excruciating pain and all Sakura could do was smile.

Still, Sakura's mind wandered back to her talk with Gouken and the Hadou Circle, and all the power that she seemed to possess. And also…

'Beware the Dark Hadou,' she thought. That's a hell of a way to end a conversation.


	5. Stress

**Street Fighter: The Hadou Circle**

**Chapter 4: Stress**

In Chun-Li's dream, she was about nine years old, and her father, Dorai, had dressed her up in a bright red and blue robe before they went to the temple to pray. Chun-Li presented her father with a very grim expression that she wore from the time she was woken up in the morning, until now as he tied the final knot on her robe.

She watched as Dorai stepped a few paces backwards to look at her, studying her like a portrait. And as she looked at him she knew what he must be thinking: "My Chun-Li, you would look absolutely beautiful, if you didn't wear a frown as if someone had stepped on your toe and laughed in your face afterwards."

Chun-Li and Dorai looked at each other a good long while; Dorai rested his mouth in his hand, as if thinking about something of the utmost importance, while Chun-Li stared at her father so hard she would not have been surprised if at any moment she could see the wall behind him.

Before she realized it, Chun-Li had stared at her father for a full two minutes without blinking. Suddenly, her eyes involuntarily shut over and over again and small tears began to creep down her face. Dorai had not blinked at all and seemed to be completely comfortable while Chun-Li felt ashamed of herself for losing the staring contest. And what was worse, her father had seen her tears.

She turned completely around and wiped her eyes and cheeks with her bare wrist, not wanting a single drop to get on her beautiful robe, when her father came up behind her and placed a large hand on her shoulder. Chun-Li refused to look at him.

She heard him say, "I have been patient, Chun-Li. I sat with you as you scolded at me all through dinner last night, and I have waited up until now for you to talk to me about whatever is ailing you, but I will not have you go to temple looking like an angry chipmunk."

"I do not look like a chipmunk," said Chun-Li, with as much anger as she could muster out of the words.

"Are you going to tell me what is wrong? Or am I going to have to leave you here and go to temple alone?"

Without looking at him, Chun-Li started, "Father, you were unfair at the martial arts demonstration yesterday. There is no way Geisuke should have beaten me. I practiced my routine over and over and over. You saw me. And Geisuke was tripping all over himself. I'm surprised he was still on his feet at the end of it all."

"Chun-Li…" her father said. She could hear the hint of frustration in his voice.

Now Chun-Li turned fully around and looked at Dorai. "And you're my father! You should have chosen me anyway! I'm your daughter! Don't you love me anymore?"

Slowly, a smile began to appear on Dorai's face. He kneeled down until his face met Chun-Li's and then placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "No offense darling, but I don't remember you pulling off your routine with 'the greatest of ease' either."

"But still…I really wanted to win."

"Let me tell you a story, Chun-Li. I once knew a man who loved to write. He kept a journal and documented nearly every moment of his life. One day, he decided that he would make an autobiography. He gathered all of his notes together, found a quiet house up in the mountains and wrote his book. It might have taken him about four years or so to write it, but when he finished he knew he had created a work of art. The book would have made him famous.

"But something was the matter. The man realized that he had devoted so much of himself into writing the book that he did not know what he would do when he finished. It was writing the book that had brought him the most joy, not the thought of what would happen when he finished. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Chun-Li only frowned at her father. "And what happened to the man?"

Dorai made a face as if he wasn't expecting to hear a question as an answer. "Well…come to think of it, I think he did publish his book and I think he did become famous."

"Exactly," said Chun-Li who finally smiled brightly.

Dorai furrowed his thick brown mustache into a smirk. "Well, whatever. I can't expect a mere chipmunk to understand life lessons."

"Who are you calling a chipmunk?" said Chun-Li, as she playfully punched her father in the stomach. Dorai doubled over as if the wind had been knocked out of him and was now on the ground howling in pain. Chun-Li jumped on him and they rolled and played on the floor of Dorai's dojo for a good while. They were going to be late for prayer.

* * *

Today should have been one of the happiest days of Chun-Li's entire life, but for some reason, she felt incredibly empty inside. Only a couple of hours ago, Chief Inspector Takanashi had walked into her office with a very thick manila folder and threw it on her desk so that she could see the words printed on it very clearly.

**SHADOWLAW: FILE CLOSED**

Chun-Li had been dreading those words, she could not deny that, but how was that possible when she had been working towards this moment for most of her life? Takanashi had shaken her hand in congratulations and told her that her coworkers had all put in money to throw her a party. She stood up and bowed at Takanashi with a bright smile of thanks. But when he left the office, Chun-Li reclined in her chair, placed her feet on top of her desk and drifted off to another place.

She could not believe that she had succeeded where her father had failed. Shadowlaw was a criminal empire that had covered so much of the globe, that almost every major criminal, who had ascended to crimes as serious as looting a store or being caught with possession of illegal drugs, was either involved with Shadowlaw or knew of their existence. They had a hand in almost every known form of illegal activity: drug trafficking and smuggling, illegal weapon distribution, prostitution, gambling, terrorism, high and low profile assassinations and even corrupting government officials.

When Chun-Li first started working for Interpol and became immersed into Shadowlaw's realm, she was shocked to realize that the average world citizen did not know of the empire's existence, for Shadowlaw was governed over by something that even the lowliest scoundrel, with nothing to live for, would never betray, and that was their own fears. No criminal, except the most prominent of influentials, had ever seen the ruler of Shadowlaw, or his right-hand men, but there were stories and myths of men who let information slip when they were not supposed to about the empire, and before the word Shadowlaw could escape their lips, a man with no face and claws for hands would come and tear the man's head clean off of his body, or one day the same man would look down a black alleyway and gaze upon a pair of purple eyes staring back at him, and would be instantly vaporized without even a clue that he had ever existed, or he would hear a voice and suddenly lose his mind, depending on how great the offense.

Of course today, Chun-Li knew better. These myths were more than real, and occurred more often than one might think. Even when she was only fifteen years old, word had spread even into her own home of policemen, many on her father's force, found brutally murdered along with their families in their own home. Or worse, some men had simply vanished from the face of the Earth, with their bodies never found. Chun-Li remembered pleading with her father to leave Shadowlaw alone, but he never took her seriously. What kind of man would he be, and what kind of message would he send the criminal underworld if the police, in fear of their own lives, simply let Shadowlaw be? She had cried herself to sleep many nights waiting for her father to return home.

Then one day, the inevitable happened.

The most unforgiving aspect of Dorai's demise was that it was not enough to simply destroy the man, Shadowlaw sent out a message to all of those that would dare oppose them. Dorai had been ambushed in the middle of the night and kicked out of the seventh story window of a hotel in Beijing. A sharp wire was wrung around his throat and he was forced to die a slow and painful death, dangling hundreds of feet in the air. Dorai's body was not found until many hours later when the sun began to appear, and anybody looking up at the front of the hotel would have seen him there, and only the lowliest of thieves and the most well-informed policemen knew who was responsible: M. Bison.

Bison. Even hearing the name in her own head brought a slight chill upon her skin. He had been a demon. There was no other word to describe him. During her time at Interpol Chun-Li had assisted in rounding up some of the most evil men and women to ever walk the Earth; people who would kill their families as well as themselves in the name of love, or sell their children into slavery or prostitution so that they could pay for a month's supply of heroine. But to see a man so devoid of compassion, with so much hatred for the human race that he did not even consider himself one, with not a single pure thought ever crossing his mind the entire time he had been alive, who would destroy every person on the planet and then laugh at God after having wiped out all of his creations, well, what else do you call something like that but a demon?

For a time, Chun-Li did not believe that Bison could even be killed, even though she had dreamed and trained her entire life to do just that. But that privilege had been robbed from her two years ago, when a couple of young men, about the same age as she was, boldly challenged Bison to a death brawl.

By the time Chun-Li had arrived by helicopter to the mountain summit where the fight had taken place, she was thunderstruck by what she saw. The entire rocky summit had been scorched; the air was thick and choking as if an incredibly large fire had taken place only moments ago. But the strangest things were the small bolts of electricity that still crackled brightly in the air, as if the scenery had gone through a laundry dryer. Bison had been on this very hill and was probably responsible for most of the damage. She could feel his ki registers during the copter ride. And then all of a sudden, it just disappeared. And now that she was at the spot where Bison was only moments ago, she could not feel any trace of him. He could not possibly be alive. In fact, the only things that seemed to be alive on the entire scorched plain, was a man in a white gi lying on the ground breathing heavily, and a second man in a bright red gi jumping up and down with his fists in the air screaming jubilations at the top of his lungs.

* * *

Bison's body, however, had never been found, and Interpol pronounced him dead after nearly a year of searching every inch of land, air and sea between Thailand, Shadowlaw's main base of operations, and Hong Kong. This was even after Ken Masters released a statement to Interpol saying that the martial arts technique used to dispose of Bison, named the Hadoken, was more than capable of vaporizing a human body since both he and the other man, Ryu, launched the attack at the same time. Chun-Li refused to believe this, forcing herself to keep Bison alive in her mind mainly from pure hatred, although in the back of her mind she knew he was dead. A person's ki does not simply vanish like it did on the mountain summit with said person still being alive afterwards. She had secretly hoped that Bison was still alive somewhere, biding his time and striking at Interpol once he regained his strength, so that she could dispose of him herself and avenge her father, but that time never came. It would never come!

It wasn't fair, she thought. While on the helicopter, she had been incredibly anxious to do battle with Bison. She had trained for years, ever since her defeat in the World Warriors Tournament. She was sure she could have beaten Bison. Either that or she would die trying to avenge her father. And what does she find when she gets to the summit? Two men had already disposed of Bison for her. Many years of training, stress, and detective labor, all so that Ken Masters and Ryu, the Legendary Street Fighter, would challenge Bison to a death match and wipe him off the face of the Earth. Just like that. What was the point of all of her hard work? What was the point! They did not deserve the honor of destroying the most evil being ever to walk the Earth. What gave them the right!

But the thing that completely destroyed her, the thing that made her feel like a helpless child, was realizing that both these men were stronger than her. And somewhere, buried deep in her subconscious, even without standing directly in front of him, she knew that Bison was twice as strong as she was. She could feel it from the helicopter. But her desire for revenge had blinded her, and, with the sound of the whirling helicopter blades in the background, Chun-Li had fallen to her knees and cried into her hands.

She detested those two men for a long time, even though they may very well have saved her life. But she knew that she could not hold a grudge all of her life, and forgiveness began to creep into her being. She even slightly enjoyed herself at the wedding of Ken and Eliza. She had been invited by Guile, whom she had worked with for countless hours trying to determine Bison's whereabouts, and who happened to be the future brother-in-law of Eliza and Ken. It had been a beautiful wedding. And partly because of how genuinely happy Ken had looked on the pulpit, and also to keep up appearances for Guile who had been a good friend to her, Chun-Li decided to enjoy herself and to forgive Ken for defeating Bison.

But she would never forgive the other man, Ryu.

It had been Ryu who had defeated her during the World Warriors Tournament, stealing what she thought to be the only chance at getting to Bison. As she lay on the worn arena floor, battered, Ryu had looked her straight in the eye and told her, "You are not ready to fight him," while offering his hand to help her up. Chun-Li had swatted it away, trying to fight back tears. She knew that he was right, but she did not care. Would it really have been so bad to die an honorable death? In the name of her father? Ryu had seen the vengeance in her eyes. He knew that she was going for Bison and he could have thrown the fight. She would have paid him to throw the fight. But he beats her for her own good! How dare he!

And then of ALL the people she would have expected up on that mountain summit, who does she see, but Ryu, having robbed her again. And even after all of her training, even after he had lost so much ki in battle with Bison, she could tell that, even years later, he was still stronger than her. That if she had tried to join the fight, he would have told her to stay back, trying to protect her, like she was five years old!

She had been so upset that she fought back an inclination to paralyze him as he lay on the scorched ground. A quick stomp to the stomach powerful enough to tap his spinal column and paralyze him from the waste down. He was weak then. She could have done it. But instead of doing so, for her own peace of mind, she went to temple and asked her father to forgive her for hating Ryu. But she needed to hate him. Bison no longer existed and all of the hate that had built up for so many years had to go somewhere. And because Ryu was responsible for Bison's demise, and because she would probably never meet the man again in her life, Ryu was the prime candidate.

Of course, Ryu was there at the Masters' wedding, as the best man. Chun-Li had watched the entire ceremony in contempt just because Ryu was in her line of vision. However, the man had disappeared after the vows, not sticking around for dinner afterwards. Only then could Chun-Li begin to enjoy herself.

* * *

There had been a party at Interpol celebrating the closing of the Shadowlaw case, but Chun-Li did not attend. For some odd reason she did not feel like celebrating, even though the party was mostly for her and all of the time she put into the investigation. She definitely did not want to exchange pleasant faces with her co-workers, so using stealth and her uncanny speed (which had improved tremendously over the past couple of years), she was able to sneak out of the building without anyone seeing her. She had nearly been discovered when her cell phone went off as she was exiting the rear of the building, and she leaped twenty-five feet in the air onto the roof of the pet shop next door to avoid detection.

She looked at her phone and saw that Guile was actually calling her. He usually wanted a head's up on developments in the case from Interpol. The American military had closed their Shadowlaw file nearly half a year back, but Guile had agreed with Chun-Li's agenda to make sure all Shadowlaw bases of operation had been triple checked. He was not going to like the news.

Chun-Li answered, "Hey, Guile. How are things?"

She heard her friend chuckle over the phone. "'How are things?' Usually you answer with 'Interpol Agent Xiang speaking,' with military timing and precision. Should I be worried?"

"We closed the file today Guile. It's over."

"Oh damn. Is that so?"

There was silence for many seconds. Even though he didn't give any signs of it, Chun-Li knew that Guile was disappointed.

"Well that's it then. Any more crusading that we want to do will have to be done without the help of our governments."

"So you mean to tell me that you plan to keep searching?"

Guile gave an exasperated sigh. "No Chun-Li, I'm done. I've wanted the bastard dead for so long, because of what he did to Charlie and all, that, well, I have some catching up to do with the family. They're not too happy with the way things are. Especially my little girl."

"Heh. Family life. How do you live without it?"

"Speaking of family, did you know that I'm gonna be an uncle soon? Ken and Eliza are having a kid. Crazy world, huh?"

"Crazy is the right word. And these children will never know of how their fathers helped save the world from a sadistic madman."

"That's for damn sure."

More silence. On the roof, Chun-Li flipped over and practiced balancing her body using only her index finger.

"What's bugging you, kid? You sound kind of out of it."

Upside down, Chun-Li blew into the phone receiver. "I think I need a vacation. I haven't had one in years. I could probably take half a year off, paid. Ooohh, I'd love to go to America. Get as far away from this place as possible."

"Then why don't you? Lord knows you deserve it."

"Yeah, right. And where am I going to stay? With you?"

"Sorry kid. Bad enough I gotta deal with TWO females."

Chun-Li flipped herself back onto her feet. "So you want me to pay for a hotel out of my own pocket? In America? I'd rather just lounge at my apartment getting fat from ice cream."

"You know, you could stay at the Masters' cottage out in the woods.. Rent free. Ken said Jane and I can use it whenever we want. I won't step foot in the place, but it's got five bedrooms, two kitchens and free cable. I'll even see if Ken can get you a good plane ticket. Whadaya say?"

"Yeah right. Whatever. Tell you what. If things go as smoothly as you make them seem, I'll _gladly_ go to America. But nothing is that easy. I'm gonna end up paying for this somehow."

"Sounds like a plan kid. See you in America. Land of the free and all that."

And with that, Guile hung up the phone.

**  
Next Chapter: The Dark Hadou Circle!**


	6. The Fallen

**Street Fighter: The Hadou Circle**

**Chapter 5: The Fallen**

_Nine years ago..._

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breath out.

There is no turning back now. You CANNOT lose to him. Of all people.

Akuma could feel that he was moments away from losing conciousness. He had passed out many times in his life and the feeling almost naturally came to him. He was on his knees in the mud, like an old dog. His breath came painfully, probably from a ruptured spleen. But it could also have been from broken ribs. Or both, he really could not tell. Blood was flowing from his lips and mixing with the Earth. He should be begging for his life, not that it would do any good. And yet, he could feel his face tighten as a large grin spread across his face. Simply the _thought_ of killing his own master filled Akuma with such glee that he forced himself to wobble to a standing position. If today was his dying day, he was going to make sure that it was the old man's as well.

Goutetsu's face twisted in disgust at his former pupil, whose eyes were now a violent purple shade while wearing a smile that longed for blood. He looked like a jackal that found its way out of the underworld. Reasoning with him was out of the question. Akuma had challenged him to a death brawl and on his honor, he had to see this fight through until he found his student dead at his feet. This was the worst possible scenario he could have hoped for. At the very least, Gouken was far away gathering goods in another city. He would not interrupt this fight. He would only get himself killed.

Goutetsu tightened his fists into a fighting stance. Akuma only stared at him smiling like a madman. In a split second, Goutetsu had cleared the distance between the two of them, spun in the air and smashed his right foot into the side of Akuma's face. His body was sent flying several yards away until the base of his head went into one of the trees that Goutetsu had planted when he was young. A splatter of blood could be seen in the dent caused by Akuma's skull, and his body slumped to the ground, unmoving.

Goutetsu strode slowly towards the limp body, still keeping his fists in an defensive position. He had to finish the job quickly, before Gouken arrived to try and stop him. The _Shun Goku Satsu_ would suffice now that he was unconscious. He was not sure he could have performed the move successfully with Akuma fighting back. It was going to be messy, and he would have to explain his actions later. "We do what we must," he told himself.

Akuma's head was tilted to the side with his mouth slacked open. For a moment, Gouken was reminded of how Akuma would fall asleep right after training, before the _Satsui no Hado_ took him. His face was molded nearly the same way. Nearly. Now his whole demeanor had been warped and twisted so that no one would think that he was born from a woman's belly. And it had been his own fault for tempting his student down this dark path. But he would rectify his mistakes tonight.

Goutetsu said a silent prayer and lifted his right leg in preparation for the attack. And once he had gathered all the ki that he could possibly sustain, he yelled out, "SHUN GOKU SAT--"

Goutetsu looked down to see Akuma holding on to his left leg. He began squeezing tighter, smiling the entire time, until Goutetsu felt his leg would snap in two. Using his right leg, he kicked Akuma in the throat, and then somersaulted backwards until he was a few yards away.

Before he knew it, Goutetsu was tending to his left leg, amazed that his pupil, who was once a small and weak boy, was able to hurt him this much. He turned toward the tree and there was Akuma, standing and smiling like he was before. He looked unharmed, as if he simply walked to the tree from where he was before.

"If you were faking the entire time," Goutetsu began, "you should have dodged the _Shun Goku Satsu_. I would have been too tired to fight back then. I can still win this."

The grin on Akuma's face started to fade away. "You will die when I am ready for you to die."

"So, what are you waiting for?"

"First, I want to know why."

"Why?"

"Why did you push the idea of the Dark Hadou on me? Why did you want me to learn the forbidden arts when you knew that they would eventually destroy me in the end? Why did you focus on me and not Gouken? What is so special about me?"

Goutetsu was staring at the ground and did not say a word, while Akuma waited for a response. When his patience was at end he yelled, "DON'T STALL! ANSWER ME OLD MAN!"

Now it was Goutetsu's turn to smile. He smiled so hard that he started chuckling. The chuckling turned into laughter, and the laughter turned into a sort of cackling. Goutetsu had thrown his head back and stumbled in his fits. He wiped away tears and stared at Akuma with a grin that looked like a kind of taunt.

"I never thought you to be the kind of man who whines about whatever fortune or misfortune you were given in this life. You goddamn fool. There is nothing special about you. Not a thing. And don't blame me for your inability to control your anger and this power. Look at Gouken. Not only was he able to banish the Dark Hadou, but he is also a better fighter than you! You and Gouken were treated equally, but it seems Gouken had a higher strength of will."

"No. that's not true. We were not treated equal. You filled my head with stories about how powerful the Dark Hadou was. Telling me that whomever fully accepted this power would never be defeated. How you had the greatest martial artists in history begging you for mercy at your feet. What I found interesting was that Gouken, when I asked him, had never heard these stories before. How do you explain that?"

There was more silence; the master and student were now staring woefully at each other, wondering how they ever came to be in the place they were now. Goutetsu's gaze went off into the forest, he seemed to be at a loss for words, and looked like a man who suddenly remembered something that he had forgotten. When he looked back at Akuma, he wore a face that seemed filled with anger, nearly as much as his student's.

"What do you want from me, Akuma? Are you waiting for me to say some special words that will put your mind at ease about everything that has happened? Do you honestly think that anything I say will change the fact that one of us has to die tonight?"

"Make no mistake, former Master. I will regretfully kill you before you are able to speak the truth to me if I must, but in the end I guess that is all that I am waiting for. The truth."

Goutetsu breathed out heavily. He thought carefully about what he was going to say next, but he figured that in the end it really did not matter. His sins would either follow him to the grave or become dead upon the ears of his fallen pupil. "I wanted to see for myself which element was stronger. As I have surely told you more times than you care to remember, the Ten and Gouki tribes, or less formally the Hadou and Dark Hadou, have been at war with each other since the beginning of time. Hell, these tribes might have even _created_ time. And for whatever reason, when these two elements clashed for the last time, they ended up destroying each other. All that was left of these gods was one lone tribesman. I never even learned which of the two tribes he belonged to, for he blessed me with the powers of Hadou and Dark Hadou, as if to see which path I would choose. I felt it was too much responsibility for one little boy to have. And not too much time went by before I discovered Gouken and yourself, lost in the forest, running away from your past. You know, I always meant to ask the two of you what you were running from in the first place."

"I do not care to remember."

"Your heart was always impure Akuma. You were never a truly kind person and you never will be. I only told the stories of the Dark Hadou because you wanted to hear them. I had never seen you so happy as when I told you those tales, of how talentless morons would challenge me to death duels, taunting me to use the Dark Hadou, and then pissing on themselves when I finally did. You loved stories about great power, power that you now possess. And yet in spite of that, here you are standing in front of me, looking for sympathy like a child that wants to be held by his mother."

The air around the two men began to heaten as Akuma slowly began building his ki. Gradually, the forest around them started to take on a purple tint. Small beads of sweat could be seen on Goutetsu's brow, but he knew that he still held the upper hand. However, he had to make sure that he maintained it. He too began collecting energy, keeping in time with Akuma. They both knew that ki was easier to keep under control if it was gathered slowly rather than all at once.

"Every man is in control of his own fate. No one is at fault for you taking the turn towards darkness but yourself Akuma. Do not try and place blame on others like a spoiled child." Goutetsu parted his legs and resumed his fighting stance. "Having said that, I have to admit that I was rather...curious to see which one of you proved to be the stronger. My suspicions were correct."

Akuma smiled. "You might be right about me old man. Perhaps my heart truly is evil. Tell me, have you seen Gouken's daughter in the past couple of days?"

Goutetsu's heart skipped a beat, as he looked horrorstruck at his student, the murderous indent swelling in his body. "What…did you do to her?"

"Gouken's daughter had found me in the woods while I was meditating. When she came too close to me, I grabbed her by the throat. Her neck had been so fragile. I could have popped it as easily as I could blink my eyes. She lost consciousness, and I left her body in the forest. It was at that moment that I knew the _Satsui no Hado _had taken me over completely. I actually _wanted_ to kill her, but she was not a worthy opponent."

Goutetsu now began to charge his ki a bit faster than Akuma, more out of rage than actual stratagem. Akuma felt the change in the air almost immediately. He knew he was getting to the old man.

"I watched her pack some belongings and run away from the village soon after. She had looked so frightened. I guess you will be pleased to hear that she is nowhere in the area and I am not sure if she will even be returning."

Almost there, thought Goutetsu. Almost there.

"I will most likely attempt to kill Gouken after I am through with you old man. I hope you are satisfied with the number of lives you have destroyed during your time here on Earth."

"Hmph. If you want to place fault you should look at yourself Akuma. You are the oldest brother are you not? I cannot imagine how idiotic a child would have to be to convince himself and his younger brother that they could live their lives in these woods alone. Were you planning to die out here? This world is no place for fools."

Akuma felt a flash go off in his mind. He leaped behind the tree that he had slammed into earlier and yelled, "GOU HADOKEN!" and shot a large purple ball of light into the tree at face level. The force of the attack not only snapped the tree in half but it also uprooted it, and a six foot tree trunk was launched at Goutetsu.

The master sidled and dodged the large obstruction, spinning to his left with blue energy gathering in his right hand. The muddy water caused him to loose his footing for a split-second. Akuma saw this and took advantage immediately. He began running toward his master like a hungry lion. Once Goutetsu had found his footing he launched a one-handed Hadoken at his student, trying to take off Akuma's head. Akuma had performed _Ashura Senkuu_ right before the ball made contact and teleported from sight; a second later, a large chunk of the forest disappeared in a wall of white created by the Hadoken.

Goutetsu could sense Akuma now behind him. He turned around, planning on striking his student at several pressure points. But before he could make a move, Akuma held Goutetsu's left shoulder and there was a loud CRACK! as he delivered a left overhead punch to Goutetsu's jaw. Akuma then backfisted his master, and then sent a straight punch to Goutetsu's nose.

The older man could feel that his student had loosened one of his teeth. Akuma lifted Goutetsu high into the air by his collar, preparing to deliver a solid punch to his crotch. Goutetsu gathered the loose tooth in his mouth and spit it at Akuma's eye. There was a loud howl as Akuma doubled back; when Goutetsu was on his feet, he rushed his student and sunk his right elbow into Akuma's gut. He then grabbed Akuma's left arm and flipped him onto the wet ground.

At this point Akuma was still recovering from the blow to the stomach. Goutetsu, still holding on to Akuma's left arm and bracing himself, drove his left knee into the arm and there was a grotesque SNAP!

There was a second howl from Akuma; tears began flowing from his one good eye. Holding on to the broken arm, Goutetsu prepared a second one-handed Hadoken, but Akuma attempted a spinning kick while on his back, and Goutetsu was forced to jump backwards. He watched as his opponent tried to collect himself as best he could.

"I have just taken away most of your weapons Akuma. Now listen to me! I have thought about your words, and…I have decided to forsake my honor and not destroy you, if you give me a solemn vow that you will never come back to this village again."

Akuma only chuckled slightly. "I will kill you Master. Tonight. Whether you want to kill _me _or not is irrelevant."

"Damn you Akuma. You don't have to do this. Do you really hate me that much?"

"Master, you have broken my arm and split one of my eyes. I don't think I could possibly hate you anymore than I do right now."

"Enough! I'm finishing this now. It's your own fault you bastard. I hope you have prayed to the gods."

Goutetsu brought his arms to his side as blue rivlets of light began condensing into his palms.

"HAHAHAHAHA! You're going to finish me with traditional Hadou? You've used both Hadou and Dark Hadou old man! Can you not make up your mind? Do you truly lack that much focus?"

Goutetsu continued gathering the white energy; the core of it created a light that engulfed Goutetsu himself.

"Since you seem to lack the ability to commit to only one style, I wonder just how strong your attack will be. SHOW ME YOUR TRUE POWER!"

"SHINKUU HADOKEN!"

For several seconds, everything within Goutetsu's line of vision disappeared, and the Earth became white. It reminded him of when he used to go to the Hadou Circle to meditate with Gouken. It would just be the two of them. Akuma had preferred to go to the Circle alone. He enjoyed those moments spent with Gouken the best. And Gouken's daughter. He prayed that she was still alive and well. But whether she was or not, he would avenge her right now. Right here.

When the area began to come into focus once again, Goutetsu was shocked to see that there was a smoldering body directly ahead of him, _and it was still standing._

Akuma had obviously blocked a good portion of the attack, because he was still alive and still had all of his limbs. Akuma had his good arm placed in front of his head for protection. When he dropped his guard, he looked right at his master and Goutetsu could see that his one eye was now a brighter purple than it was before.

"That was nothing."

Goutetsu knew that Akuma was bluffing. His student had to be on the verge of death. Not allowing Akuma more time to recover, Goutetsu gathered the very last of his energy for one final attack. He could feel the strain on his body. He never should have pushed his body this hard, but what choice did he have?

"Heh. You look like you're about to die old man."

Once he had collected as much energy as he could, Goutetsu let off a second Shinkuu Hadoken, but this time Akuma prepared a counter attack. Right before the ball of white could reach him, he leaped into the air over the river of white. In midair, he pointed the palm of his good arm right at Goutetsu.

"TENMA GOU ZANKUU!"

Goutetsu looked up just in time to see a violet ball of fire coming towards him, and somersaulted out of its path. The attack shattered much of the ground as if the gods had driven a large nail into the Earth. Goutetsu lost much of his footing and was not surprised to see Akuma charging towards him, and Akuma delivered a forward punch to his master's forehead, but Goutetsu regained his footing just in time to block.

Goutetsu spent the next minute weaving and dodging Akuma's onslaught of hurricane kicks and sweeps, and began to believe that this was the end of him. He had no ki left in his body, and had not counted on Akuma having the stamina to dodge the second Shinkuu Hadoken. Akuma also seemed to have a substantial amount of ki left and he could not understand why.

Goutetsu knew that he would never be allowed the time necessary to break his student's neck or spine, so Goutetsu believed that his best bet was to deliver a punch powerful enough to rupture Akuma's lung. All he needed was an opening.

Luckily, the opening came at just the right time, because Goutetsu could feel his body beginning to give out. In a surprise attack, Akuma fired a one-handed Gou Hadoken at Goutetsu's chest. Goutetsu leaped in the air, barely dodging the ball, and somersaulted onto Akuma's shoulders. He leapt off just as Akuma fired another ball of fire into the air trying to strike his master while on top of him. Once Goutetsu landed, he braced his legs and as Akuma turned around, he reared back and with the last of his strength delivered a fierce punch straight into the pit of Akuma's stomach. When his fist was as deep as it could go into Akuma's body, Goutetsu twisted it almost completely around. He knew he had hit the correct spot when Akuma began vomiting blood on his outstretched arm.

A bright smile appeared on Goutetsu's face as he prepared to jump behind Akuma, grab his head and snap his neck, but before he could get away, Akuma grabbed Goutetsu by the collar and drove his head into his master's skull. A spray of blood could be seen coming from Goutetsu's crown, and the old man fell to the ground with his mouth hung open, quivering.

"It is the end of you old man. Before I finish you, I feel that, as your former student, I have an obligation to tell you the truth. And the truth is that you were right about me. My heart is unpure and it always will be. The truth is that I did not let Gouken's daughter live. Her body is lying due north of here about a mile away. Nobody will ever find it."

Goutetsu slowly began picking himself up and started to cry. Why had this happened to him? Gouken, Akuma and Ouju, Gouken's daughter, were the only family he ever had. And now one of them was dead, and the other was about to kill him. What did he do to deserve this? Was he inadvertently placing a curse on himself and his family by coming in contact with the Ansakian tribesman?

Whatever happened, Goutetsu was content with the fact that Gouken will most likely kill Akuma in order to avenge him.

But only after _he _tried first.

Akuma could feel the air around him pressurize, but it was not coming from him, but his master. Goutetsu's entire body, including his skin and clothing, took on a dark purple tint. He turned and looked at his student with glowing purple eyes. Goutetsu placed his palms at his side and before Akuma could even gauge what was happening, Goutetsu muttered in a raspy voice, "Messatsu—"

The world around Goutetsu then went white. And he was teleported back to about ten years ago, when he was having a picnic lunch with Ouju and Gouken. He could see Akuma leaning on a tree and staring out into the distance, but at least he was joining them. And he thought to himself, "Having a family isn't so bad. To think that I had spent half of my life without one. And I am so proud of each and every one of them."

Akuma simply stared at his master, who was now on his knees with a vacant expression on his face. Akuma's flesh had been scorched, with his clothes being completely burned off. The entire land around him had turned black; he could hear the trees crackling from the heat. But he only paid attention to his master.

He walked up to him and placed his palm on Goutetsu's face and said, "Forgive me Master. Ouju is alive. I only told you she was dead so you would release your true power. And after seeing it I am disappointed. It has become clear to me that you never committed yourself to either Hadou or Dark Hadou. Until you do so, you will never know you're true potential. See you in the next world, Master."

Akuma yelled out, "SHUN GOKU SATSU!" Goutetsu smiled under Akuma's palm.

* * *

_One week ago..._

Akuma awoke in searing pain. The sun was just beginning to creep out over the trees of the plain.

He looked at himself and found that he could barely lift his head. His arm felt broken, and his leg looked like it had been twisted around almost completely. He was laying on a hard rock and--

_Ryu! Of course! He had left me for dead here in the Serengeti. _

Akuma tried to move his body but came nowhere close to doing so. He had absolutely no ki, nor was he in a position to build ki if he needed it. It was only a matter of time before the animals of the Serengeti came after him. He was lucky that he woke up before this happened.

He had no choice. If he wanted to get out of here alive he would have to visit the Dark Hadou Circle.

And his former Master...

* * *

**  
Author's note: **Wow. This chapter was supposed to be about something else entirely, but I got so into this fight that I couldn't stop myself. Hopefully I will be able to remain on track for the rest of the story. I appreciate the reviews received from everyone. This is your story.

Till next time.


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